An alarming rise of non-albicans Candida species and uncommon yeasts in the clinical samples; a combination of various molecular techniques for identification of etiologic agents

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Yeasts are unicellular microorganisms may cause systemic infection in immunocompromised patients. The aim of this study was to identify yeast strains isolated from clinical specimens using molecular techniques. RESULTS: A total of 202 yeast strains isolated from 341 clinical samples between February 2017 and May 2019. All clinical isolates were identified using phenotypic and molecular tests including PCR-RFLP, duplex-PCR, multiplex-PCR, and PCR-sequencing. The most yeast fungal isolates were obtained from urine (66.8), nail (9.4), skin lesion (7.9), bronchoalveolar lavage (5.9), and blood (3.9). One hundred and twenty-one Candida species were identified as non-albicans versus 76 Candida albicans. Trichosporon asahii, and Pichia terricola were uncommon non-Candida yeasts isolated from urine samples. For the first time, we isolated P. terricola as etiological agent of urinary tract infection in a pregnant female. Since Candida species show different levels of resistance to antifungal agents, precise identification of clinical isolates is critical for better treatment of infection.